


Poisoned

by lapsaptong



Category: Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Angst, Cloud is a veggie, Hurt/Comfort, I thought he was 18 or something, M/M, Noctis is 20???, Noctis is a Dork, Squall needs a hug, Warrior of Light is a dad, an insane dork, and an oblivious one, kinda a dad, manikins suck, sad Cloud, someone hug these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 17:38:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16769779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lapsaptong/pseuds/lapsaptong
Summary: Based off an ask prompt from pathtothedawn:-What if Cloud somehow got Mako poisoning again, and fell into a semi-coma? He’s still somewhat aware of his surroundings, and faintly hears someone calling his name. Squall, on the other hand, is worried and scared because he’s never seen Cloud in a dazed state. He found him slumping against a tree, looking almost dead. He stands and leaves Cloud to get help, but he stops when he sees Cloud’s hand stretching to him, trembling. Cloud’s afraid that Squall will leave him and die, just like Zack.-





	Poisoned

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my first story, and I apologize if there are any grammar errors! >.< English isn't my first language, but I am taking classes to make it better. It's shameful, but I have not played any of the Final Fantasy games because I don't have the consoles or money, but I have watched gameplay and cutscenes, so I also apologize if the characters are out of character. I would like to thank pathtothedawn and starkstrife for their headcanons and deeper insight to each character. Ir really helped a lot! This story took a while because I had back to back midterms and exams, so I hope the story flows together okay.

Squall groaned as he sat up from his spot on the cool metal floor. “Back in Midgar,” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. He really hated how the portals worked here. He, Cloud, and Noctis had encountered three of Spiritus’ warriors while trekking in Pandemonium in search of another God.

The gunblader looked around the gloomy, dark area and saw an unconscious figure in front of one of those large generators.

Damn, he thought, grabbing his Revolver and scrambling to his feet. As the brunette ran towards the figure, he could vaguely see the blonde spikes of hair adorning the man, and Squall felt his heart beat even faster. There was some green aura reaching out to the figure, curling around the limp body.

“Cloud!” He shouted, sheathing his Revolver away and knelt next to the blonde mercenary, turning him over. Dull blue eyes stared up at him as Squall felt a growing dread in his heart.

_No no no no!_

Placing his head against Cloud’s chest, the brunette sighed in quiet relief as he heard a heartbeat. The green aura was suddenly gone, and Squall grabbed the underside of Cloud’s arms, dragging him further away from the large machine.

“Squall!” A voice called out to him as Squall looked up to the side to see Noctis standing there, somewhat out of breath. In an instant, the man was gone in a flash of blue before reappearing a couple feet away from the two.

“You okay?” Noctis asked and Squall nodded.

“Yeah, but Cloud’s not.”

“He doesn’t look good,” Noctis agreed, staring at the motionless body.

“He probably had a concussion from the fall,” the gunblader stated, “Can you grab his sword?”

“Alright.”

Squall watched Noctis shuffle over to the large machinery, and then turned back to Cloud, who still said nothing.

“You’ll be okay,” Squall muttered to the other, reassuring himself more than anything.

_Please be okay._

——

Noctis groaned, flopping onto a meadow of flowers and grass.

“Can we get a break?” The onyx haired swordsman whined, “Cloud’s sword is freaking heavy.”

Squall huffed, adjusting his hold on Cloud’s waist and arm that was draped around his shoulders as he dragged the limp body a bit more to the field to be closer to Noctis. Who knows if another portal might suddenly appear and whisk them away?

Squall set Cloud’s unconscious body against a lone tree before sitting down next to him, rolling his tense and sore shoulders. He watched Noctis take out the First Tsurugi from his invisible armory of weapons and stumbled forward with the heavy blade in hand.

“There’s some kind of…magic in Cloud,” Noctis said, making his way to them up the small hill, “Dunno what it is, but it feels like energy.”

“Can you heal him?” Squall asks, mentally berating himself when he hears the slight desperation in his voice. Thankfully, Noctis didn’t catch it.

“I don’t really use healing spells. I can just…sense it,” Noctis said, scratching the back of his head, “Besides, we used half of our potions on him, but nothing’s happened.”

Squall looked over the mercenary, who simply sat there, unmoving and comatose-like. He lifted Cloud’s head, staring at the blank, dull depths of those cerulean eyes tinted with green from Mako. Fear gripped his heart as multiple scenarios raced through his mind, all of them ending in a bad way.

_Get a hold of yourself, Leonheart. He’s not dead. He’s still breathing._

“Maybe the green aura was poison,” Squall said aloud, turning to Noctis. The other furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

“Let’s try using an antidote on him,” Noctis suggested, kneeling and bringing out an antidote potion from his invisible storage. Squall didn’t understand how it worked, but he didn’t question it. The older grabbed Cloud’s hand and set the antidote there, crushing the glass into nothing. The glass shards vanished after the destruction as a green swirl of magic surrounded Cloud. They waited for several minutes, but nothing happened.

“What if he’s…?” Noctis mumbled, looking at the lifeless eyes.

“No,” Squall snapped, making the other jump slightly, “He’s not dead.”

Noctis nodded slowly and tossed the empty bottle away into the grass, “So he’s in a coma or kind of in a coma.”

“It seems like it,” Squall grumbled, “I was exposed to that poison and I feel fine.”

“That’s really weird,” The young adult replied, “We should go back to Materia. Maybe she’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah,” The brunette replied, turning his head slightly to see Noctis walk back down the hill to retrieve Cloud’s sword. Squall turned back to the blonde and placed a hand on Cloud’s chest, feeling the steady heartbeat.

_He’s not dead._

——

Their luck eventually ran out on their way to Materia's palace through random opening portals as they were confronted by Emperor, Sephiroth, and Kefka.

“Shit shit shit,” Noctis cursed as the three villains looked at them with a smug look on their faces.

“What do we have here?” Kefka cackled.

Squall cursed mentally, making a move to set Cloud down, but stopped when Noctis held his hand out, looking back at him.

“Get Cloud out of here,” Noctis said, looking back at the two.

“Are you insane?” Squall hissed, “You can’t take all three at once!”

“It’s called a distraction,” the onyx warrior huffed, “I’ll be fine.”

Squall felt a rush of wind behind him as he glanced back to see a portal with a blurry image of a desert and Materia’s tower in the distance.

“Noctis-!”

“I’ll hold them off! Just get to Materia! I’ll see you there!”

“But-!”

“GO!”

Squall growled and turned to the portal, going through it and moving a couple feet away from the portal in case any enemies got through.

_But then that would mean Noctis…_

“Shut up,” Squall growled to himself, “He can handle himself.”

The gunblader lay Cloud against a broken pillar, turning back to the still open portal. It slowly began to close, and Squall waited for Noctis to show up using his warp trick or run through.

Suddenly, Cloud’s sword came hurling out of the portal in an odd rotation before landing onto the ground. Squall waited for Noctis to show up with his nonchalant attitude, but there was nothing. He could only hope Noctis was okay as the portal closed.

Squall picked up the First Tsurugi and grunted, dragging the heavy sword back to Cloud’s limp body. “Damn it,” he swore. How the hell was he supposed to carry both Cloud and his stupidly oversized sword?

Looking around the sandy ruins and then to the blue tower in the distance, Squall dragged the sword towards the closest pillars, looking around them. Finally, he found one with a large crack on the back and stabbed the sword into the ground. Nodding at his own handiwork, Squall moved to the front of the pillar, marking a small ‘X’ against the stone.

He made his way back to Cloud, who hasn’t moved from his position. “The things I do for you,” Squall huffed, holding Cloud’s hand and squeezing it. He hoped there would be some kind of response-a blink, a squeeze, just **_something_** -, but there was nothing. Just silence. He pressed his hand against the chest, feeling Cloud’s heartbeat.

_Still here…_

Squall moved, draping Cloud’s arm over his shoulder and wrapping a hand over his waist. He stood up, adjusting Cloud slightly before walking off.

“On we go, I guess.”

——

Squall hated the silence in their journey. He didn’t hate the journey, no. He hated being alone with his thoughts; he needed some kind of noise-anything- to block it out. The only thing that grounded him, mentally and physically, was Cloud. He needed to make sure Cloud was still there with him. Just feeling the blonde’s heartbeat or hearing the quiet breathing was enough. His thoughts kept trailing off to Noctis, who could be dead because he didn’t do anything to help. It was to the point that Squall just talked to the blonde, as if he was listening. It’s not like Cloud was.

As he finished a story of Rinoa and him, Squall said, smiling a bit to himself at the memory. Rinoa grew on to him like a sister, much like Ellone, except…

Squall shuddered at the memory. Ellone had left him alone when he needed her the most.

“…you better not be dead,” Squall whispered, “Don’t…don’t you dare leave me too.”

No tears came out from the confession; Squall shed them all away as a child. He didn’t know whether or not the slight jerk in his arms was from Cloud or it was him just walking. The silent trek continued until he saw several colored figures ahead. Squinting, Squall watched the slightly jerky movements of one of them before cursing.

“Manikins,” Squall growled, “A lot of them.” The colored doppelgängers of enemies and allies separated them from Materia’s tower. The teen moved towards a large broken pillar, setting Cloud down and stretching his shoulder before retrieving Revolver.

He let out a soft sigh, looking back at his comatosed lover. Squall deeply inhaled as he heard some noise from afar, almost like an order. He had to get the Manikins away from Cloud. As if sensing their presense, the manikins began to move towards their location and Squall cursed again.

“I’m going to take care of those Manikins,” he said, bending down to Cloud’s unresponsive, sitting form. He took a deep breath, pressing two fingers to the blonde’s neck and feeling a pulse, “I’ll come back for you, so don’t worry.”

The gunblader cupped Cloud’s face in his hands, pressing their foreheads together. “If anything happens to me, just know that…,” Squall said in a choked whisper, “I love you.” As several seconds passed, Squall stood up, wiping a stray tear that fell down his face. He walked out from behind their cover, weapon drawn. Unbeknownst to him, a leather gloved hand was reaching out to him, trembling in the air.

——

Squall grit his teeth as he cut down another manikin, watching it fade away. He couldn’t keep still as he dodged an attack from a Cecil manikin until he was slammed to the ground from above. The gunblader quickly rolled away from a follow up attack, nearly losing his hold on Revolver.

_Hyne, it was never ending._

He was covered in littered in injuries, either serious or superficial. Blood ran down half his face, partially blinding him. His side throbbed in pain from a Jecht manikin attack, and Squall had a hunch that several ribs were cracked or broken.

As he tried to get up again, Squall felt a foot stomp on his head as his vision swirled and darkness encroaching at the corners of his eyes. Shiva, he was weak… Blood trailed down his face, mixing in with the tears he didn’t know he shed. He hoped Cloud would be okay…

“Squall!” A voice shouted as the weight from his head disappeared and a blurred figure appeared in front of his view. Explosions shook the ground as Squall faintly heard a roar, possibly either Bahamut or Ifrit.

A set of hands helped him sit up as he stared at ocean blue eyes and a mop of dirty blonde hair. “C-Cloud…?”

“It’s me, Tidus,” the blurred figure said as Squall felt his heart lurch in fear.

“…Tidus?” Squall mumbled, blinking slowly. He was suddenly on his feet, stumbling a bit from the sudden change and weight.

“Don’t worry,” Tidus said, moving Squall’s arm to wrap around his shoulder before wrapping an arm around the brunette’s waist, “We’ll get you out of here.”

“C-Cloud…!” Squall suddenly hissed, gaining the strength to plant his feet on the ground, “H-Have to go help him.”

“Warrior of Light, Cecil, and Bartz are working on it. Right now, I have to get you to safety.”

“No!” Squall growled, “He needs…help.” _I need to help him…_

“You’re no good to him dead,” another voice growled as Squall felt strong arms lift him up. He attempted to push against the larger purple armored chest, but it was only a gentle nudge. His mind fogged over and his body numb as the gunblader slumped against the hold, faintly hearing shouts and explosions. Hyne, he was tired…

Then, everything faded to black.

——-

Squall shifted, feeling the soft sheets under his fingertips and opened his eyes slowly, blinking rapidly to adjust the sudden burst of light that hit him, except that he could only see from one eye.

Right…head injury.

His body felt stiff and one slight move made pain race through his body.

“You’re awake,” Kain gruffed, arms folded as the dragoon stood by his bedside.

Squall grunted in response, trying to sit up until Kain forced him down into the cot. Even if the dragoon has his helmet on, Squall could see and feel the intense glare as Kain crossed his arms once more.

“Do not be stupid, child.”

“Where’s Cloud?” Squall asked, mustering up a glare with his eye.

“You need to rest.”

“Where is Cloud?”

“Rest first.”

A mixture of emotions-anger, fear, desperation- stirred within Squall as he growled, forcing himself upright and swinging his feet over the bed.

“I need to see him,” the gunblader growled, undeterred by the waves of pain from his body. He stood on two feet, wobbling slightly from pain and gripping the edge of the bed, “Where is he?”

Kain sighed, uncrossing his arms. “You give me no other choice.”

Squall made a step forward and Kain moved quickly in front of the gunblader.

“Apologies,” Kain muttered and grabbed the side of Squall’s neck, pinching hard. Squall collapsed in a heap into the dragoon’s arms, unconscious. Kain moved the teen back into bed and draped the blanket over his body before leaving.

——

The next time Squall woke up, it was Noctis who was watching over him. He sat up slowly, wincing, but the other didn’t seem to stop him.

“You reopened and agitated some of your wounds,” Noctis said, “Kain had to knock you out before you could do any more damage to your body.”

Squall nodded, clearing his throat after feeling there was something lodged in his throat. The gunblader gave a once over to the other, swallowing quietly, “You look like shit.”

Noctis let out a chuckle, “Look who’s talking.” Squall could see the bandages underneath the older man’s shirt that extended to his arms, legs, and neck.

“Are you…?” Squall said, gesturing at Noctis’ body as Noctis nodded.

“Never been better. Y’shtola and Terra bandaged me up after Lightning and Firion found me, half dead in my own home. I’ve been off duty for a good four days.”

“W-Where’s Cloud…? How long was I even out for?”

“Two days, and Cloud’s fine. He’s slightly still a veggie though.”

“Still?” Squall croaked, not even caring if Noctis could hear the fear in his voice.

“He’s coming to, though. When Wol found him, he was trying to move by crawling. Materia said that Cloud has some kind of poisoning from his own world that can’t be cured through potions. It just takes time.”

“…Wol?”

“Warrior of Light.”

“We call him Light.”

“Lightning also goes by Light.”

_How did he even get her to agree to a nickname?_

“She…nevermind,” Squall frowned, “Can I see him?”

Noctis gave him a look, and Squall raised an eyebrow, “I’m not supposed to let you out of bed.”

“You going to stop me?” the brunette grunted, shifting and throwing his legs over the side of the bed.

Noctis made to say something, but then stopped, brows furrowed deep in thought before waving his hand, as if trying to dispel his previous words.

“Nevermind. Let’s go.”

Squall perked up, surprised that the older would break rules given his condition. Noctis helped the brunette up, who winced when his ribs were aggravated slightly, and let him lean against him.

“Is this even the best idea?” Squall grumbled.

“You wanted to see him,” Noctis huffed.

“I meant leaning on you.”

“I’m not fragile.” The last part was grounded out, almost as if Noctis was bitter about something.

They made it to Cloud’s room before hearing Onion Knight shout of Squall’s disappearance. Noctis opened the door and shuffled them inside, letting Squall sit on a stool before going back to the door and locking it.

“Is THAT a good idea?” Squall asked and received a shrug.

“Eh, gives us some time. Besides, Wol will probably just scold us…me probably.”

Squall scooted closer to Cloud and looked over the blonde. There were several bandages wrapped around his arms, probably for superficial wounds. His eyes held some life to them as Cloud tilted his head to Squall.

_Hyne, he’s okay…!_

Squall felt his chest constrict and he reached out and held Cloud’s hand in his, squeezing tightly. He received a weak squeeze in response, and Squall shuddered with relief. Cloud’s lips parted, nothing but a whispy breath came out.

There was a knock on the door and Noctis mumbled something under his breath.

“Open the door, Noctis,” Warrior of Light said, “I know you and Squall are in there.”

“…the door’s jammed.”

“It appears so. Would you like to explain to Materia why another door will be broken momentarily?”

“Astrals,” Noctis grumbled, moving to unlock the door as Squall quickly retracted his hand and turned to face the intruder. The onyx haired adult opened the door, slightly ajar, but the door was quickly forced open.

“Noctis,” Wol said curtly, indigo eyes looking over the situation at hand, “Squall.”

“Hey,” Noctis replied nonchalantly, an uncaring look on his face. Squall looked away from their platinum haired leader.

“Why is Squall out of bed and not resting?” Wol finally said, eyes focused on the onyx adult.

“He wanted to see Cloud, so I let him. Squall almost died, and no one told him about how Cloud was doing besides being a vegetable.”

Wol sighed, running a hand through his unruly white hair, almost as if exasperated by the younger’s antics. Squall gazed curiously over to the two, Noctis having his hands in his pockets and Wol giving him a scolding look. _Almost as if a father was mentally scolding his child..._

He froze when Wol looked at him, gazing over him and then to Cloud before training them on Noctis once again. “…Let’s get you looked over, Noctis,” Wol finally said.

“What? Y’shtola’s already looked over me!”

“Now, Noctis.”

Noctis huffed and exited the room as Wol gave an understanding look to Squall before closing the door.

Squall released a breath that he didn’t know he was holding in before looking back at Cloud, who stared at him with furrowed blank eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Squall said, ignoring the waver in his voice. The blonde was probably silently chastising him. He held the limp hand again and felt a squeeze, stronger than the last, and Squall squeezed back, “I’m not going anywhere, you idiot.”

A sudden tear rolled down Cloud’s face, though his face remained impassive, and the brunette reached with his free hand and wiped it away.

“I’m right here,” Squall murmured, “I won’t leave you. I’ll be here until you start moving again.”

The brunette felt his body ache from exhaustion and stress he put on his injured body. Climbing onto the bed, Squall shuffled next to Cloud and held onto the sleeve of the white T-shirt the blonde was changed into.

“I…I was scared that you might have…,” Squall trailed off, clutching tighter to the blonde. He let out a shaky breath, resting his head against the rising chest, slightly trembling as he listened to the gentle rhythm of his lover’s heartbeat, “Damn it…!”

——

Cloud felt incredibly warm as everything began to clear up from his foggy mind. He had fallen asleep, with his eyes open no less, and shifted slightly from the gathering heat in his side.

He looked to the sleeping teen beside him, who was clutching onto the white shirt and head against his chest.

“Squall,” Cloud murmured quietly, gently shifting to his side and quickly gathering the younger into his arms when he heard a whimper; it was intensely quiet, and he would’ve missed it if it weren’t for his enhanced hearing.

Hands clutched tighter to his white shirt and Cloud sighed, running a hand through his brown locks to comfort the younger. As he stared ahead at the white walls, the blonde faintly recalled a moment of finally seeing Squall after who knows how long in his comatose state before the memories flashed back to the gunblader leaving to deal with the manikins. Pain raced through his head as those memories overlapped with his memories of Zack.

_“He’s not dead.”_

_“My older sister, Ellone, was the only family I had, but she disappeared one day.”_

_Zack gave him reassuring smile before ruffling his blonde unruly spikes. Then, his best friend stood up, walking towards inevitable death…_

_Squall pressed his forehead against his, warm hands cupping his cheeks._

_Rain fell that day, mixing with his tears as he looked on at his dying friend-his only friend. “For the both of us... you're gonna... live. You'll be... my living legacy. My honor, my dreams... They're yours now...”_

_“If anything happens to me, just know that…_

_I love you.”_

Cloud tightened his hold on the young teen, breathing hitched. Squall’s safe and in his arms, and…

He could’ve lost Squall that day.

_It’s because you were weak_ , a nagging voice echoed; his own self-degrading voice, _You were too weak to protect him. Just like your mother, Tifa, Zack, Aerith…everyone you love or care about will get hurt because of you._

“I’m sorry,” Cloud murmured, “I should’ve been stronger to protect you.”

——

When Cloud woke up from his slumber, he saw Terra sitting on a chair by his bedside, hands over his chest. “How are you feeling?” she asked, checking over Cloud as magic flowed through her hands and over the blonde.

“I’m fine,” he said curtly, “a bit tired, but fine.”

“That’s good,” she replied with a warm smile.

“Where’s Squall?”

“He’s in his room, resting. Cecil came in and took him back to his own room. Noctis is watching over him.”

“Can I…?”

“See him? Of course.”

Cloud nodded his thanks and stood up from his bed, feeling his legs buckle from the sudden weight. He was in a coma for at least a week…

“Do you need me to help?” Terra asked, worry in her voice as she moved instantly.

“No, it’s okay. I just need to get used to walking again. I haven’t exactly moved a lot lately.”

“…I see.”

After several stumbles, Cloud found himself able to walk somewhat normally as Terra led him to Squall’s room. She opened the door for him as he took in his lover’s room. Noctis, who had been staring at Squall’s motionless body, tensed as he looked over to them, surprise and shock evident in his eyes before relaxing with relief. Terra left the room with a gentle smile on her face, closing the door behind her. Cloud walked over to the bed side, looking over the sleeping gunblader.

“How is he?” the blonde asked, taking a seat on another chair across from Noctis; someone else probably came in with or before Noctis.

“He’s fine,” Noctis replied, shifting slightly, “He tired himself out from moving to his room to yours and flailing against Cecil when you fell asleep.”

Cloud looked over the younger adult, noticing some bandages wrapped around his body and several scars that looked too familiar to the blonde.

“What happened when I was out?”

“Besides making sure you weren’t dead? A lot of things,” Noctis sighed, “Your egotistic nemesis sure knows how to bring the pain with his toothpick of a sword.”

Cloud grit his teeth as his conclusions of Noctis’ injuries were spot on. He didn’t say anything as the onyx haired adult continued, “Squall was pretty adamant telling me that you weren’t dead. I almost thought you were until I felt your pulse. We split up when running into Sephiroth, Emperor, and Kefka. A portal had appeared, showing Materia’s tower, and Squall carried you through it while I stayed behind to make sure those three didn’t chase after you two.”

“You took on three of them on your own?” Cloud asked, taken aback at either the stupidity or bravery of Noctis’ decision, or both.

“Well, if Squall put you down to help fight, you would’ve been an easy target and it would’ve spiraled from bad to worse.”

_He has a point_ , Cloud thought, a churning feeling in his gut, _If I was stronger…_

“Sorry, for leaving you two alone,” Cloud murmured, bowing his head and clasping his hands together, “You guys wouldn’t have been injured if I-”

“By the Six, Cloud, it’s okay. Everything’s alright now. You’re not a veggie anymore, and Squall and I are getting better. We’re all alive,” Noctis said, giving the blonde a stern look, “Get out of guilt city and focus on what’s really important.”

Cloud stared at Noctis before his lips twitched a bit and he shook his head with a chuckle, “When did you get so wise, oh King of Fishing?”

“When you hang around a bunch of brooding grumps, you know why they brood and go edgy.”

“Not edgy,” a new voice grumbled out as both swordsmen turned to the bedridden one.

“Sure,” Cloud huffed, leaning forward a bit and gently holding Squall’s hand. The gunblader only scoffed in return, his lips twitching in silent laughter. Cloud felt the younger squeeze his hand in return, feeling a slight tremble before letting go.

“You two are…wow, I am fucking blind,” Noctis sighed, leaning back in his chair and facepalming, “No wonder Wol took me out.”

“Wol…?” the blond murmured in confusion, brows furrowed.

“Warrior of Light. I’ll explain later,” Squall breathed.

“Anyways, did you seriously not know?” Cloud asked, holding a passive look on his face when Noctis removed his hand from his face to look at the two of them.

“I had a hunch when Squall kept putting his hand on your chest or holding your hand when you were a veggie, but then you’re all veterans and been through this once, so I didn’t think much of it.”

“Oh?” Cloud murmured, tilting his head slightly as a faint blush erupted on Squall’s cheeks, but the brunette kept his eyes closed.

“Were you pining for one of us?” Squall asked, his tone somewhat teasing albeit how disinterested it sounded.

“Nah,” Noctis said, waving his hand, “Got someone waiting for me back home. Do you still want me to go on or should I continue it later?”

“I’m surprised Warrior of Light let you back in here,” the brunette hummed.

Noctis huffed and stood up, “Nevermind that. By the way, Cloud, your sword is with Firion, so you can go pick it up later or whatever.”

“How’d you find Cloud’s sword? I thought I hid it well,” Squall mused, brows furrowed slightly.

“You did a damn good job hiding it from the others and enemies. I followed the faint trace of the magic on it. Every weapon I use or sometimes touch has a small residue of magic. It comes in handy. Now go make up and not out.”

Squall finally opened his eyes at the sound of the door clicking, staring into Cloud’s, relief flooding through his body as if the dam guarding his emotions and fears just broke. He shakily exhaled as a hand gently brushed away the brown locks before caressing his cheek.

“I was afraid…,” Squall swallowed, moving his bandaged hand from his side and touching the hand on his cheek, “that you were dead without me knowing until it was too late.” A tear managed to escape, trailing down his cheek as it touched Cloud’s finger. _That you would have left me alone in a foreign world._

“Damn it,” Squall sniffled, cursing himself for letting his emotions get the better of him as he pulled away from Cloud’s hand, wiping his face with his.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Cloud murmured, gathering the brunette into his arms, the younger’s head resting in the crook of his neck, “I’m right here. I can’t promise that I won’t get hurt, but I can promise that I won’t leave you behind. We’re in this together, right?” He felt shaky arms wrap around his back, fingers digging into the clothed flesh. Cloud felt a nod and squeezed the younger tighter, reassuring him that he was here and not a mirage.

“I was scared, too,” the blonde admitted, “When you left me to fend off the manikins, I kept seeing Zack. I thought it would happen again…that I was too weak to protect the ones I loved. I’m sorry I made you worry.”

It was silent for a moment before Squall let out a watery laugh, “What a pair we are…two broken people together.”

Cloud hummed, closing his eyes, “Maybe it was meant to be.”

____

As Squall and Cloud recovered, the blonde mercenary spent more time in the brunette’s room than anything, watching Y’shtola or Firion change Squall’s bandages, or just to watch over him.

“I was inflicted with Mako poisoning,” Cloud explained while in Squall’s room with Noctis and Wol present, “It’s a sort of sickness in my world that if you’re exposed to Mako for a long period of time, your body will absorb it, but cause damage to your mind. I can only think I got it again because I was near a Mako reactor.”

“How come Squall and I weren’t affected by it?” Noctis asked after Cloud looked at him when he raised his hand.

“You weren’t exposed to it for a long time, so it probably left your system quickly.”

Wol pondered, eyes closed and brows furrowed before he opened them again. “If any of us are to go to Midgar by choice or by arbitrary events, are we in danger of this Mako poisoning?”

“It’s highly unlikely unless you decide to jump into the Mako reactor and bathe in it.”

Noctis snorted from the ridiculous idea, “Who would do that?”

“I can think of some people who might,” Squall replied as Wol sighed, shaking his head; they both had similar culprits in mind.

“I will let the others know of this. Thank you for sharing this information, Cloud,” the knight said, leaving the room. Squall sighed, leaning back and resting his body against the pillow wall Noctis had erected for him.

“I heard you threw my sword,” Cloud said, looking at Noctis.

“Excuse you, I was trying to save your and Squall’s life,” Noctis defended, folding his arms, “Besides, you and your rival need to get your egos checked.”

“Why?”

“Because while the bastard has a long ass sword, you have ten stuffed into one!”

“Coming from the guy who has thirteen different weapons and maybe more stored in a subspace.”

“That’s completely different!”

“Yeah? How so?”

As Cloud and Noctis bickered about their amount of weaponry, Squall looked down to his lap, his lips quirking up to a small smile; it reminded him of when he and Cloud had a banter about their own weaponry and its oddness. It disappeared when he heard the wooden legs of the chair scratch against the ground.

“Whatever. I’m going out,” Noctis huffed, standing up, “Feel free to join me if you want.”

Cloud nodded as he and Squall watched the onyx haired young adult walk out of the room and close the door behind him. The blonde turned to his lover, reaching up and cupping his cheek, rubbing the soft skin with his thumb.

“I didn’t get to say this earlier, but thank you for saving me,” Cloud murmured, pressing his lips against Squall’s. The brunette flushed, but pressed back, closing his eyes. They separated for air, breathing slightly heavily.

“You would’ve done the same for me,” Squall replied, a shy smile gracing his features. _I love you…_

The blonde chuckled, nodding and ruffling the wild brown hair, “Yeah, I would’ve.” _I love you, too._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I hoped you enjoyed it! (＾▽＾) Again, I'm sorry if any of the characters seem out of character!


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